Sharp County record., 1887-08-25
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
Bigotry and the Evils of Sectarlan-
ism Discussed.
Preferences for Particular Religious Be-
Iiefs and Forms of Worship Lawful
and Proper, But United Chris
tian Labor Badly Needed.

In his fifth sermon at "The Hamptons"
Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage dealt "l'n
"Bigots," taking for his text:
Then said they unto him. "Say now ShloDo-
leth, - and he said SibbOleth, f0r ne couIu my
frame to pronounce it right Then tney IooA
him, and slew him at the passages OF Joruan'-
Judges, xii, o.
Do Won notice the difference of pronun-
citation between shibboleth and sloDoletn!
A very small and unimpOrtant dlnerence'
YOU say. And yet that difference was the
difference between life and death Tor
great many people. The Lords people,
Gilead and Ephraim, got into great tight,
and Ephraim was worsted, and on the re-
treat came to the river Jordan 10 cross
Order was given that all Ephraimites COM
ing there be slain. But how could 1t be
found out who were EphraimitesG They
we're decided by their pronunciation.
Shibboleth was a word that stood for
river. The Ephraimites had a Drogue Oh
their own, and when they tried TO say
shibboleth always left out the sound OF the
"h.n When it was asked that they say
shibboleth they said sibboleth, and were
slain.
Then said they unto him, Say now ShlD-
boleth:" and he said Sibboleth, FOR ne couIu
not frame to pronounce it right. Then tney
took him. and slew him at the passage OF Jor-
dan.
A verv small difference, you say be-
tween Gilead and Ephraim, and yet how
much intolerance about that small dlI-
ference. The Lords tribes in our time
by which mean the different denomlna-
tious of Observation-Disclosures magnify
a very small difference, and the only dl1-
ference between scores of denominations
to-day is the difference between shibboleth
and sibboleth.
The Church of God is divided into a
great number of denominations. Time
would fall me to tell of the Calvinists, and
the Arminians, and the Sabbatarians, and
the Baxterians, and the Dunkers, and the
Shakers, and the Quakers, and the Method
lists, and the Baptists, and the Eplsco-
palians. and the Lutherans, and the Con-
gregationalists, and the Presbyterians,
and the Spiritualists, and a score Of other
denominations of religionists, some OF them
founded by very good men, some of them
founded by very egotistic men, and
some of them founded by very bad men.
But as [ demand for myself liberty Of con-
science, must give that same liberty to
every other man, remembering that he no
more differs from me than differ from
him. l advocate the largest liberty in all
religious belief and form Of worship. In
art, in politics, in morals and in religion
let there be no gag law, no moving OF the
previous question, no persecution, no in
tolerance.
You know that the air and the water
keep pure by constant circulation, and
think there is tendency in religious dis
cussion to publication and moral health.
Between the fourth and sixteenth cent
uries the church proposed to make people
think Alright by prohibiting discussion and
bv strong censorship of the press, and by
rack. and gibbet, and hot lead down the
throat, tried to make people orthodox;
but it was discovered that you can not
change a mans belief by twisting OF his
head, and that you can not make man
see things differently by putting an awl
through his eyes. There is something in
mans conscience which will hurl of the
mountain which you throw upon it, and,
unsinged Of the fire, out Of the flame will
make red wings on which the martyr will
mount to glory.
In that time Of which speak, between
the fourth and sixteenth centuries, people
went from the house of God into the most
appalling iniquity, and right along by con-
secrated affairs there were tides Of drunk
enness and licentiousness such as the world
never heard of, and the very sewers OF
perdition broke loose and flooded the
church. After awhile the printing press
was freed, and it broke the shackles Of the
human mind. Then there came a large
number of bad books, but where there was
one man hostile to the Christian religion
there were twenty men ready to advocate
it: so 1 have not any nervousness in re-
gard to this battle going on between truth
and error.
The truth will conquer just as certainly
as that God is stronger than the devil.
Let Error run if you only let Truth run
along with it. Urged on by skeptic's
shout and transcendentalist's spur, let 1t
run. Gods angels of wrath are in hot pur-
suit, and quicker than an eagles beak
clutches out a hawks heart, Gods ven-
geance will tear it to pieces.
propose this morning to speak to you
of sectarianism-its origin, its evils and
it's cures There are those who would
make us think that tnis monster, with
horns and hoofs, is religion. shall chase
it to its hiding-p place and drag it out of the
caverns of darkness, and rip off its hide.
But want to make distinction between
bigotry and the lawful fondness for pecul-
lar religious beliefs and forms of worship.
have no admiration for nothingarlan.
In world of such tremendous vicissi-
tudes and temptation, and with soul
that must after awhile stand before a
throne of insufferable brightness, in day
when the rocking of the mountains and
the flaming of the heavens, and the up
heaval of the sea shall be among the
least of the excitements, to give account
for every thought, word, action, prefer
ence and dislike-that man is mad who
has no religious preference. But our ear
ly education, our physical temperament,
our mental constitution, will very much
decide our form of worship.
A style of psalmody that may please me
may displease you. Some would like to
have a minister in gown, and bands, and
surplice, ard others prefer to have a min
lister ip ;s.nn citizens apparel. Some are
most impressed when a little child is pre-
sented at the altar and sprinkled of the
waters of holy benediction sin the name